Man told police ‘UDA would shoot them’

POLICE offered to give a Coleraine man a lift after he was asked to leave a house, but instead of accepting, he threatened he would get the “UDA to shoot them”.

Andrew Mark Goligher (41), of Danes Hill Road, was disorderly at Drumadragh at 2am on April 30 after police were called, Coleraine Magistrates Court was told.

A prosecutor said the defendant was intoxicated and refusing to leave a property and a complainant said he was being so noisy that she couldn’t get a five month old child to sleep.

Police officers offered Goligher a lift to his mum’s address but as he was leaving he started shouting back towards the property.

When he refused to get into the police car he said to an officer: “Or what?” and called her an an “Irish b--tard” and “Irish c--t”.

He kicked out and had limb restraints applied before he shouted at police about shooting them and that he would get the UDA to shoot them.

Because of his aggressive nature police tasked a cell van to the scene to take him to Coleraine Police Station.

The defendant was in court for sentencing on charges of disorderly behaviour, assault on police and resisting police.

Defence solicitor Denise Gillan said because he had drink taken Goligher had no memory of his actions on the night.

She said he “sat with his head in his hands” when he was told of the “disgraceful” comments he made.

The lawyer said Goligher’s partner’s family has links to the PSNI and he doesn’t have a problem with the police.

Goligher, who had 36 previous convictions, was put on Probation for a year and ordered to carry out 50 hours Community Service.

District Judge Peter King said in the words of a previous judge in Coleraine it was a case of “drink going in, wit going out” but he said his sentence had to mark the seriousness of the abuse received by police.